The Selfish Gene

Dawkins Was Only 35: Richard Dawkins wrote The Selfish Gene when he was just 35 years old, publishing it in 1976 while working as a lecturer at Oxford University. This debut book catapulted him to international fame and remains his most widely read work, with audiences still lining up decades later to have him sign copies of this first book rather than his newer releases!

The Word "Meme" Was Born Here: Dawkins coined the term "meme" in this very book, adapting it from the Greek word "mimeme" meaning "imitated thing." He wanted a monosyllable that sounded like "gene" and should rhyme with "cream." This concept of cultural replication has spawned an entire field called memetics and, of course, gave us internet memes!

The Title Almost Didn't Happen: Publisher Tom Maschler tried to convince Dawkins to call it "The Immortal Gene" instead, arguing that "selfish" was a "down word" while "immortal" was an "up word." Dawkins later admitted he probably should have listened, since too many critics judged the book by its title alone without reading it!

It's Actually About Altruism: Despite the provocative title, much of the book is devoted to explaining the evolution of altruism, not selfishness. Dawkins has repeatedly lamented that people misunderstand this, emphasizing that the word to stress in the title is "gene," not "selfish." The book shows how selfish genes can create altruistic individuals.

Written Before Any Genome Was Sequenced: When Dawkins wrote The Selfish Gene, not a single genome had been fully sequenced. Yet he predicted the existence of purely selfish DNA that serves no function except to replicate itself. Twenty-five years later, the Human Genome Project discovered that half our genome consists of exactly such selfish elements!

Million-Copy Bestseller in 30+ Languages: The book has sold over a million copies and been translated into more than 30 languages. In 2017, a Royal Society poll celebrating 30 years of their Science Book Prize listed The Selfish Gene as the most influential science book of all time!

The Book Keeps Growing: The original 1976 edition had 11 chapters, but the 1989 second edition added two more chapters. The 40th anniversary edition added an epilogue, and the latest versions include even more material from Dawkins's later work The Extended Phenotype. Yet Dawkins insists there's little he would take back from the original!

It Sparked a Silent Revolution: The book caused what one observer called "a silent and almost immediate revolution in biology." It galvanized the biology community, generated massive debate, and stimulated whole new areas of research. The New York Review of Books called it "the best work of popular science ever written."

Bodies Are Just "Survival Machines": Dawkins memorably describes our bodies as "robot vehicles blindly programmed to preserve the selfish molecules known as genes." This radical perspective dealt what some call the final blow to anthropocentrism, showing that even we as individuals are not at the center of natural selection.

It Builds on Hamilton's Genius: The book popularized groundbreaking ideas from W.D. Hamilton and others developed during the 1960s, particularly about inclusive fitness and kin selection. Dawkins credits Hamilton as one of his four named heroes, and Hamilton himself praised the book's "remarkable clarity and simplicity."

Still Fresh After 50 Years: A 50th anniversary edition was published in 2026, with Dawkins reflecting on the book's enduring relevance. Scientists note that four decades on, the book remains "an amazingly fresh read" whose important insights have not aged, continuing to inspire fresh generations of young life scientists!